Blog Mastery Weekend #6: Writing Your Best Content

Yesterday I talked about “taste”, that inner aesthetic that governs your sense of beauty. We also discussed that everyone has a sense of taste, but not everyone knows how to express it. Ira Glass, the producer of American Public Radio’s, This American Life, believes that you have to produce a large volume of work to capture your sense of taste. I agree.

In the middle of my post I challenged you to spend the next 5 days writing. The goal is to get a feel for your inner sense of taste. I want to repeat the challenge for this week’s weekend assignment. Write 5 “pieces”. You can publish your work if you choose but I just want you to write just because. Write stuff that you feel accurately reflects your sense of taste.

Some topic ideas could be:
1. Your perfect day
2. The perfect soul mate
3. The best day of your life
4. Why you chose your career
5. Your manifesto

If you publish your piece, put the link in the comments section so I can enjoy your exploration of what is meaningful and beautiful to you.

Quick Tip

Last week I had the chance to talk with several smart, articulate, and passionate people about their business and possible ways that Pushing Social could help them.

The process I’m using to create services for Pushing Social is taken from the Lean Startup and Customer Development movement. It can be summarized as developing your products in collaboration with potential clients. This process is different from the popular method of creating the product first, launching it, and hoping that the market buys.

My own process has been an eye-opening and incredibly productive exercise.

Before you write your next ebook, launch a new service, or even launch a new blog, call potential clients and readers and ask them if your offering is useful enough to purchase. If enough of them say yes, move forward. If not, you might be running toward a dead-end.

It sounds like common sense, but many skip this process choosing to gamble on predicting the market and speculating about client needs. The 85% 1st-year business failure rate is evidence that a new approach is needed.

Can We Talk?

I still am looking for about 10 more people to interview. The only criteria is that you have to be actively trying to build a business or currently managing a marketing program for an organization.

The interviews are short about 15-20 minutes. In return for your time, I will answer any question you might have about your blog or business. I also will send you a free copy of my latest Expert Guide “How to Sell With Your Business Blog”.